Just War or Just Peace?

Humanitarian Intervention and International Law

Simon Chesterman

Description

This book asks whether states have the right to intervene in foreign civil conflicts for humanitarian reasons. The UN Charter prohibits state aggression, but many argue that such a right exists as an exception to this rule. Offering a thorough analysis of this issue, the book puts NATO's action in Kosovo in its proper legal perspective.

Just War or Just Peace?

Humanitarian Intervention and International Law

Simon Chesterman

Table of Contents

Introduction1. The Just War: The origins of humanitarian intervention2. The Scourge of War: Humanitarian intervention and the prohibition of the use of force in the UN Charter3. 'You, the People': Unilateral intervention to promote democracy4. The New Interventionism: Threats to international peace and security and Security Council actions under Chapter VII of the UN Charter5. Passing the Baton: The delegation of Security Council enforcement powers from Kuwait to Kosovo6. Just War or Just Peace? Humanitarian intervention, inhumanitarian non-intervention and other peace strategiesBibliography

Humanitarian Intervention and International Law

Simon Chesterman

Reviews and Awards

"Chesterman has written a tour de force that exposes the weaknesses of the arguments supporting a doctrine of unilateral humanitarian intervention in international society ... Chesterman rejects the claim that states have a legal right to act as vigilantes in support of Council resolutions, even if they believe that this is the only means to stop a genocide. The powerfully argued thesis of this scholarly work is that accepting this proposition in law is 'a recipe for bad policy, bad law, and a bad international order'." - International Affairs